Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-22
IT B0BS UP SERENELY.
THE TARIFF QUESTION NEEDS VERY
LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT.

Holiday Adjournment in the Senate Made
Use of to Give 1t an Airing-Europe Not
Yearning for Bi-MetaIism-A Very Un-
certoin Young Lsdy-The Sick Congress-
men-Legislative Notes.
WASHINGTON CRY, Dec 22.-Ths debate
in the senate Wednesday on the house Holt
day adjournment resolution brought up the
surplus question and the presidents message.
Several Republicans were vigorous in their
opposition to holiday recesses In general and
this one in particular. Plumb said he would
vote against the resolution, because he
thought that the proposed recess was against
the public interest," Congress would be in
session till the dog-days and during the lat
ter part of the session the country would be
in the midst of a heated presidential canvass.
There was no reason why members Of con-
gress should go home for the holidays
Plumb alluded to the fact that, nothwith-
standing the alarm which the president had
spoken of in his message, the Democratic
house of representatives was not even organ
lied In its committees, and that the only re-
Spouse which the house had made to that cry
Of alarm was the passage Of a bill to pay a
months extra compensation to lot of its
own employees whom it had discharged in or
der to give their offices to another lot
Butler expressed contempt for the @dis-
gushing spectacle which the senate was pre-
senting; for the affectation and hypocrisy
exhibited. There was not senator who did
not know that all that was said about the
senate remaining in session was absolute
bosh and hypocrisy. 1t was the idlest, film
siest shallowest hypocrisy be had ever wit.
messed.
Sherman agreed with Butler that it was
hardly worth while for the senate to deny the
house the usual privilege OF holiday ad-
jouremsnt, but he did not agree with him as
to the character Of the present debate. He
(Shermanl was very much interested in it
1t had brought to the attention of the senate
the folly of some features of the presidents
message-the folly of the president endeav-
| oring to create a scare and alarm about the
condition of the country because fortunate
| lyl there was a surplus Of $55, 0O0, 900 in the
treasury. II it were true that there
was such state Of alarm as was
| expressed by the president certainly
| Democratic house ought not to ad journ
over the holidays He did not believe, how
ever that there was any such occasion for
alarm Hs believed that tile language OF
the president was entirely too strong. The
surplus Of 81, 00O, 900 was less than was in the
treasury at other periods OF the present ad.
ministration He thought it but reasonable
and right that the humbug by which it was
sought to frighten the country should be
punctured, exploded, or explained away
Beck said he did not propose to 60 into a
debate in regard to the presidents policy on
a resolution for holiday adjournment He
assumed that the resolution would prevail
Such a recess was usual, and he did no,
know any exception to it He could moi
understand why the senate should now, on
motion like that, go into discussion of tbs
presidents policy when they would have al
next year for it But there were som,
things which the country ought to know il
connection with the statements made by the
senator from Kansas The senator had told
the country that the policy of the Re-
| publican party, by imposing and maintain
ing unnecessarily high taxation, had pro
duced the treasury surplus, and that tina
same party was determined to hold it Their,
or to waste it in such schemes as the Rspub
lican party might desire The senator haC
| not told the country that the Republican
party had so ad justed the debt Of the United
States that they could not be paid with thu
money thus brought by high taxation I'M
the treasury unless such premiums were paiG
TO the bondholders as they might de
mand. The policy of the Republican
party had postponed the pay ment of $3.50
| 900 900 of the debt till 1891 and of $40 600